Man-ho (Chow Yun-Fat) tries to lead a straight-and-narrow life, but when his father, the Hung Hing crime family boss, is murdered, he must return to lead the family. Rival gangs try to take advantage of the transition, and Man-ho makes some bad decisions -- especially not murdering mad dog mobster Coffin Rope (Lung Ming-yan) after he kills a Hung Hing member. Now, Man-ho must subdue his enemies and gain the loyalty of his own gang.